Page 16 - HOH

A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 14 February 2019

FEMA head Brock Long, investigated over vehicle use, resigns

By COLLEEN LONG he was resigning to spend connected during a crisis.
Associated Press more time at home with his But the use of government
WASHINGTON (AP) — family. His last day is March vehicles for home-to-work
The head of the Federal 8. travel was not officially
Emergency Management He did not mention the authorized, and that
Agency resigned investigation by the practice was eliminated in
Wednesday after a two- agency's watchdog April.
year tenure in which he that found he had used The report by Homeland
managed the response to government vehicles Security's Office of Inspector
historic wildfires and major without authorization, General also found Long
hurricanes but was dogged costing taxpayers tens used government vehicles
In this Sept. 15, 2017, file photo, Federal Emergency Manage- by questions over his use of of thousands of dollars. for non-official reasons.
ment Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long delivers update government vehicles. Homeland Security It said this cost taxpayers
on federal actions to support Hurricane Irma response in Wash- Brock Long said in a letter Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen $94,000 in staff salary,
ington. Long has resigned it was announced on Feb. 13, 2019.
Associated Press to FEMA employees that said last fall that Long would $55,000 in travel expenses
repay the government and and $2,000 in vehicle
would not lose his job. maintenance.
Nielsen said Long led The House Oversight
the agency admirably. Committee had also been
"I appreciate his tireless looking into the allegations.
dedication to FEMA and his Long said he accepted
commitment to fostering full responsibility for the
a culture of preparedness unauthorized use of the
across the nation," she said vehicles.
in a statement. He took over FEMA in
His deputy, Pete Gaynor, June 2017, presiding over
will become acting head a particularly grueling
of the agency. hurricane season that
Word leaked of the internal included Irma, Harvey
probe in September, just and Maria, plus wildfires
as Hurricane Florence was in California that were the
landing in the Carolinas. deadliest ever for the state.
Homeland Security officials The response to Maria,
said there had been a which devastated Puerto
longstanding practice of Rico, has been heavily
FEMA administrators using criticized, and Long has
government vehicles to said FEMA learned lessons
ensure they could remain on how to better prepare.q
Judge finds Manafort

lied to investigators

in Russia probe

By CHAD DAY It hurts Manafort’s chance
WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul of receiving a reduced
Manafort intentionally lied sentence, though Jackson
to investigators and a fed- said she would decide the
eral grand jury in the spe- exact impact during his
cial counsel’s Russia probe, sentencing next month.
a judge ruled Wednesday. The four-page order re-
The ruling by U.S. District solves a dispute that had
Judge Amy Berman Jack- provided new insight
son was another loss for the into how Mueller views
former Trump campaign Manafort’s actions as part
chairman, who faces years of his broader probe of Rus-
in prison in two separate sian election interference
criminal cases stemming and any possible coordina-
from special counsel Rob- tion with associates of Presi-
ert Mueller’s investigation. dent Donald Trump.q